Learning Places Summer 2017 

SITE REPORT #1 Gowanus Canal and the Gowanus neighborhood  

 

Starky M. Acevedo 

06.11.2017 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION 

We started the semester by trying to get a sense of what figures like Jane Jacobs as well as Robert

Moses stood for and what type of impacts they had on communities in the city. We then used some of

the thinking and ideas of these people as well as our own experiences to analyses the Gowanus

neighborhood and the Gowanus canal first hand. The Gowanus canal is a 1.8-mile-long and

100-foot-wide canal in Brooklyn New York that empties into New York Harbor. It’s surrounding

neighborhoods are Park slope, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens and Red Hook. The canal was originally a

creek turned into a canal in the 19th century and was heavily used as an industrial transportation route

by companies like paper mills, gas plans and concrete manufactures. After nearly 150 years of having

industrial waste dumped into the canal as well as becoming a sewage dump for the surrounding

neighborhood it has becomes one of America's most polluted sites, even becoming a superfund site. The

first Despite the conditions of the canal the neighborhood is still attracting a lot of attention and

becoming a target for big time developers bringing with them a new wave of gentrification.

SITE IMAGE 1  

This image of the

Gowanus Canal

shows the present

conditions of the

canal. We can see

how polluted the

canal is in this image.

The top of the water

has oil like spots as a

result of all the

chemicals and

pollutants in the

water. The water

itself is green and

murky. On the edges

of the canal we see

trash that looks like it

has been piling for a

very long time. The

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border conditions of the canal seem to be in all different types of conditions, in some areas it has been

reinforced either by siding or sheet piling but other sections of the border seem to not have any border

at all.

SITE IMAGE 2 

This image in my opinion captures the canal with a sense of it surrounding context. We can see of the

key features that make up the surrounding neighborhoods and communities. On the left of the image

we see one of the separating walls of an existing concrete supplier. Across from the concrete there is a

very large bus lot and beyond that, cutting across the sky we can see the Smith and 9th train station, the

city's highest train station. Most of the buildings around are not residential leaning more towards the

manufacturing side. The water itself is again dark and murky but we can still see vegetation along the

side. There is plenty of trash and the smell was very bad on this day.

 

 

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SITE IMAGE 3 

In the image above we can see some of the results of developers doing what they do. To the left of the

image is a relatively new Whole Foods. The entire yard of the whole foods is designed to be permeable

to account for possible flooding, whether it works well or not is yet to be tested. The Whole foods seems

to be somewhat ecofriendly as we can see the solar panels as well as wind towers. On their parking lot,

they also have chargers for electric cars. However along with a whole food comes along unaffordable

prices for the residents in the area, this being a sign of the gentrification to come. We can also see one

of the canals tributary branches. One of the canals most interesting features is it bends and turns.

 

SITE IMAGE 4 

One of the ways some in the community

are trying to reduce the amount of

pollutants reaching the canal is by using

bioswales. Bioswales reduce the

amount of storm water reaching the

canal by absorbing some of it like a

sponge and removing some of the

toxins and pollutants found in runoff

storm water. Bioswales are designed

with an inlet and an outlet, allowing for

water to enter and leave. It is important

to note the difference between a tree

pit and a bioswale. This bioswale is

6-foot-deep and can absorb up to 2

million gallons of water. The vegetation

found in bioswales needs to be very

resilient and ideally native in order to

resist the pollutants. One of the

drawbacks to bioswales is that they

require a bit of maintenance.

 

 

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SITE IMAGE 5 

In this image we can see the brand new

luxury condominiums in the background

and in the front there is ongoing

construction and the covering of old

siding with new shoring and sheet

pilling. It is also important to note how

the scale of the condominiums is broken

down to appear to be in smaller

proportions. The architect did this by

using different types of materials and

brick colors. .

 

SITE IMAGE 6 

As per NYC zoning any new construction

going on waterfront residential property

must also have a 40-foot esplanade.

This esplanade is besides the new

condominiums and although it is a

public space it is a bit hidden from the

public. This esplanade also serves

similar functions with the bioswales as it

is also a bio sponge filtering some of the

run off making its way to the canal.

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SITE IMAGE 7

This image shows the difference between how the facade and sidewalk of a new condominium looks

and the sidewalk of an old industrial building. The right side the sidewalk is clean and new, on the left

side we see graffiti on the wall, we see cracks on the sidewalk as well as a bit of greenery from lack of

maintenance and usage. It is also important to note that this is one of the paths taken to get to the

required public space by the canal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Types of building in Gowanus neighborhood 

 

These three images show some of the types of buildings in the neighborhood. The first image shows a

five-story residential building on the corner of Smith and 4th street. The building has small shops on the

ground floor and residential next to it ranging from three stories to five stories, most with colored

cornices. The second image shows and old industrial building that is now under construction. There is a

large number of buildings along the canal in this same type of old industrial style. The last image shows

newer residential apartments. We can see how modernism might have inspired this style as it is a lot

simpler than what was previously done. There are no cornice or lintels and the red and brown panels

used for siding seem modern when compared to brick.

SITE IMAGE 8 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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This image shows the parks of a project playground and the playground of the NYC park in the Gowanus

community. Both playgrounds have their own fence and although the city playground can be used by all

and the project playground by residents only the public playground had a lot more kids. This particular

project took up an entire superblock. It was designed with Robert Moses in mind but it does not feel too

detached from the community like other Moses projects. This is in part because the perimeter buildings

are not too tall and still have a relationship between the street and the apartment buildings..

 

 

 

 

 

These are two different projects in the Gowanus neighborhood. On the left is the Gowanus projects and

on the right is Wyckoff Gardens. Both create a disconnect between the street level and the people living

on the higher floors. Their scales are also a lot larger than the smaller homes in the neighborhood. There

is also a lack of commercial places in these areas.

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SKETCHES 

On this sketch I stood on the border of the

Gowanus canal and found it super

interesting to see a very large Barge parked

in the canal. The barge was stocked with

gravel. It was interesting to see the canal

still being used the same way it was used

150 years ago. Although the water is

polluted to nearly dangerous levels there is

still greenery on its edges.

 

This is a sketch under the Gowanus

expressway. I found this interesting

because the expressway separates Red

Hook from Carroll Gardens and

neighborhoods along the edge of the

canal. The change from one side of the

expressway to another was great. On the

Red Hook side everything felt more like a

community and on the side of the canal

things seemed more industrial. Under

the expressway it seemed abandoned

and dark. There were cracks all over the ground and one could get the sense that it might be a

dangerous place at night.. 

 

GENERAL NOTES: 

● The Gowanus receives about 2 million gallons of raw sewage annually

● The Gowanus is a man made canal, it was first a creek.

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● Although highly contaminated there is some life in the canal. Some of the species in the canal

include jellyfish, crabs and small types of fish

● In 2009 the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the cal become a superfund

site. This would make all involved parties in the pollution of the site partly responsible.

● Bioswales can hold up to 2,000 gallons of water, making them a very effective way to filter

toxins out of runoff storm water

INSIGHTS/DISCOVERIES  

In about two weeks of class the way I think of neighborhoods and communities has changed, in my

opinion for the better. Our first class we were introduced to Jane Jacobs and she would remind the city

of New York specifically developers what it meant to be a community. To Jane Jacobs a community does

not happen overnight. The creation of a community is an organic process. This need to have the process

be planned is one of the many faults Jane Jacobs found in the way developers like Robert Moses were

designing our cities. One of the reasons I feel that developers had a hard time understanding the organic

process that is the creation of a community is because they looked at the city from a plan view and only

saw roads, avenues and streets. Another one of Jacob's points that is obvious to me now when

experiencing the city is that developers were designing for cars not people. The automobile industry was

booming and this meant that cars where the target not people. On the other hand, Jacobs believes

people are the driving force behind a community, even helping keep it safe by having as many eyes in

the streets as possible. I also enjoyed learning about these figures and what they stood for and then

going out into the city to actually see what Jane Jacobs meant by eyes on the streets and seeing people

greet each other. Being able to somewhat experience what a deaccent project feel like and what a really

bad one feels like makes it easier to see what Jane Jacobs was fighting for and fighting against. I also got

the sense that at one point developers like Robert Moses had better intentions but somewhere along

the line only money mattered. I had an idea of how the process worked but it was not until reading

about Jane Jacobs and all those being pushed out that it hit me how ruthless developers can be. The

used the Zoning codes to their advantage to change districts to whatever benefits their pocket usually

residential. The film My Brooklyn helped me understand what people go though as a result of urban

renewal and gentrification. It also helped me begin to recognize some of the forces behind

gentrification, some of those being class, race and above all money. I have also gained a new

appreciation for the Gowanus canal and not because of the overpriced condominiums going up but for

the history of the canal. It deserves to be restored and preserved. Perhaps we need to reevaluate how

we utilize the canal.

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KEYWORDS/VOCABULARY & DEFINITIONS 

Combined Sewage Overflow: Combined sewer systems are sewers that are designed to collect

rainwater runoff, domestic sewage, and industrial wastewater in the same pipe. Most of the time,

combined sewer systems transport all their wastewater to a sewage treatment plant, where it is treated

and then discharged to a water body.

Coal Tar: Coal-tar is formed when coal is cooked, a process to prepare coal for use as a fuel.

Wastewater treatment: process used to convert wastewater- which is water no longer needed or

suitable for its most recent use - into an effluent that can be either returned to the water cycle with

minimal environmental issues or reused.

Saltmarsh: A saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the

upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly

flooded by the tides..

Flushing tunnel: Pulls water from harbor to head of the canal. This result in water that contains low

amounts of oxygen.

Bioswale: Bioswales are landscape elements designed to concentrate on remove silt and pollution from

surface runoff water.

Brownfield site: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines brownfield as "real property, the

expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence

of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant".

Superfund Site: Superfund sites are polluted locations requiring a long-term response to clean up

hazardous material contaminations. The party or parties involved are usually responsible of the cleanup.

Esplanade: any open level space open for public use.

Boulevard: A broad street, promenade, or walk, planted with rows of trees. Chiefly applied to streets of

this kind in Paris, or to others which it is intended to compare to them. Now freq. (esp. in U.S.), a wide or

well laid-out street or avenue.

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Gentrification: The process by which an (urban) area is rendered middle-class

Impervious: Surface that does not allow any liquid through.

Pervious: Surface that allows the passage of water through.

Sheet piling: sheet piles are long structural sections with a vertical interlocking system that creates a

continuous wall. The walls are most often used to retain either soil or water.

Cornice: A horizontal ornamental molding along the edge of the building. Most commonly found at the

top of the front of the building.

Superblocks: An above average block usually formed as a result of a large development project where

smaller blocks are combined forming a super block.

Projects: A government-subsidized housing development with relatively low rents.

Modernism: A style or movement in the arts that aims to break with classical and traditional forms.

Zoning: The process of dividing land in a municipality into zones (e.g. residential, industrial) in which

certain land uses are permitted or prohibited.

QUESTIONS for Further RESEARCH 

1. Is enough attention being placed on replacing the outdated infrastructure of the sewage system

in the Gowanus neighborhood? 

2. Is the city of New York not a major contributor to the pollution of the canal making it partially

responsible for its rehabilitation as per its status as a superfund site?  

3. Are the new residents moving into the Gowanus neighborhood aware of how dirty the canal

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actually is?

4. Is the gentrification of the Gowanus what it takes to get the canal cleaned up?

ZONING RESOLUTION THE CITY OF NEW YORK. (n.d.). Retrieved June 11, 2017, from

https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/zoning/zoning-text/art10c07.pdf?r=2

Superfund Site Information. (2016, December 28). Retrieved June 11, 2017, from

https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0206222

Oxford English Dictionary.. Retrieved June 11, 2017, from

https://library.citytech.cuny.edu/research/articles/oxford-english- dictionary

Goanus canal. Retrieved June 11, 2017, from

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/harborwater/gowanus_canal_history.shtml

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